Gaming headsets aren't for everyone. They can be expensive, and for those that don't share a domicile with others, possibly unnecessary. For those that do have to worry about waking kids up late at night though (or simply want a personal, high-end audio experience), losing the option (for now) on next-gen consoles isn't good.

Turtle Beach has announced in a press release that Microsoft will not have a chat adapter for game audio-focused headsets ready until next year. Additionally, Turtle Beach's own Xbox One headsets (the XO Four and XO Seven) won't make launch. They, too, are slated for first quarter of 2014, and will include the adapter (though it isn't clear if the new models will work without it).

Our TakeThis may have just been the nail in the coffin for my next-gen console purchases. I can usually only game later at night after the kids are asleep. Without the option to simultaneously use game audio and chat through a headset at launch, the games I'm still interested in (Call of Duty: Ghosts and Need for Speed Rivals) become difficult to play online.

Well that's a bit of a bummer for a lot of people. Both Sony and MS both have these issues at launch. It's good they're both including a mic, but that doesn't solve the headset issue for people wanting dual game/chat audio without distracting people around you.

It seems to me that Microsoft and Sony were competing to see who could get their respective system out the door first, the only problem is they left third party accessory companies and game devs behind.

While I understand your reasoning for the nail in the coffin bit, as that is a very legitimate reason,this delay isn't that terrible. Not saying it will release on Jan 1, but 2014 is only 39 days from launch

"This may have just been the nail in the coffin for my next-gen console purchases."
I think you meant your launch purchases, Mike. I highly doubt you would choose to never buy either console because they won't have full headset compatibility at launch. ;) Haha, just messin' with ya, man.

Hey Mike! You can always run the audio from the tv to regular headphones this will solve the noise problem for late night gaming, as for the chat the stock mic can sit in your lap and hope you can output the chat from other players to the tv to listen on you headphones. This is an annoying temporary fix that us dads with kids are going to have to put up with until MS and Sony address the issue and eradicate it.